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Libervareth
Libervareth is a nation that has split from the Kingdom of Vareth. It was formed by the Countess Emerissa Surrell, a leader in a growing movement that is against any sort of magic, and also pushes for the superiority of humanity over the other intelligent races of Eraterra. Their official population is entirely made up of humans, though some nonhumans do remain. They control most of northwestern Vareth, along with the Silvertail Mountains. Their most recent political events include annexation of the Wishbone Isthmus, and expulsion of Kalah Emirate troops from the western Bloodlands. Steel and Blood Emerissa Surrell began her political career in 479 AC as a countess for Lord Jakub, a respected nobleman who controlled the industries of Steelshear, and owned part of the Silvertail Mountains. There she courted various members of the court, slowly gaining favor and influence amongst the local nobles. By 483 AC, she and Lord Jakub started a romantic relationship, where she eventually convinced him to make her his primary successor. In late 484 AC, Emerissa and Jakub were attending a ball when the Lord suddenly collapsed on the dance floor. Official reports ruled his death due to stress and old age, but some whispered that Emerissa had poisoned his wine right before he imbibed it. With the Lord's death, Emerissa suddenly had lands and a title behind her name. She put it to good use - she knew that many of the Lords have some misgivings with Queen Paliona and her current rule, and so she convinced them that the Kingdom intentionally poisoned Jakub in order to weaken the region. The Lords believed her, and she became a figurehead for their secret political movement. Some Lords, such as Lady Avinna, pre-emptively launched ambushes on patrolling Varethians, with the most gruesome being the battle at Camberly Falls. The battle saw around 200 Varethians being slaughtered, with survivors run down and tossed into prison cells to rot. When Queen Paliona was assassinated in 485 AC, Emerissa immediately launched her political campaign, claiming that magic and non-humans were the reason behind the Queen's death. Knowing that a majority of the population in northwestern Vareth was human, she knew her message would be quickly picked up by them. About a month later, she had enough popular support that Libervareth officially declared its independence from the Kingdom, declared war both on it and the recently founded Gutharian Knights, and began their conquest. After the Wishbone Trading Post was seized by Libervareth, the House of Jerome declared that it will go to war against them in the name of "common decency, freedom, and intolerance of tyranny." Shortly after assuming power, she announced to her new subjects that all non-humans were to surrender their titles and holdings immediately, and should they leave within the next month, will be allowed to take whatever they can carry and guaranteed safe passage. Most of the dwarves, half-orcs, and half-elves agreed to these terms, but some did not, forming the Golden Gears. After the grace period expired, she put into effect a brutal program that actively seeked out magic users with the help of the Justices, and any non-humans caught in Libervareth are imprisoned without a trial. General Attitudes Even if one is a human that does not possess magical abilities, they would find the people's attitudes quite unwelcoming. It is one of xenophobia and distrust. Many of these people are slow to warm up to strangers, and often blame them for any failures within the state. If they do warm up, they tend to be fairly respectful and adherent to rank. However, they dislike any non-humans, with responses ranging from willfully ignoring them to outright racism. Magic is a taboo topic; even mentioning anything like believing a four-leaf clover could give you luck would be looked down upon. Notable Features * Unshakeable Pride: Libervarethians are incredibly proud of their nation. It is joked between others outside the nation that if there is one thing that everyone knows about Libervareth, it is that they have of most impresive industrial complexes in Eraterra. * Justices - Experts in Magic: Despite the intention of the Justices to eliminate all magic users in the land, they are perhaps some of the most well versed in arcana. Their knowledge of magic even includes a sort of understanding of Dyrtani nature magic, a topic that is barely understood outside of the Empire itself. * Voice of Thunder: Many Libervarethian soldiers are trained to speak in loud, sharp tongues, both when commanding troops or talking to others. This style of speaking often unnerves listeners, especially those who haven't spoken to a Libervarethian soldier before. In combat, the soldiers often throw suddenly loud insults into the face of their opponents, which often staggers and panics their fellow combatant.